New Biomass Plants Called For in Obama’s Green Agenda

Biomass combined heat and power plant

Earlier this year, Congress extended the production tax credits for renewable power sources like solar, wind and biomass. Locally, in my Central Oregon region, several new biomass plants may remain viable as a result of the election of Obama as the 44th President of the United States. These include the Warm Springs Biomass plant, and a similar plant proposed by Silvan Power in Prineville, Oregon.

Obama’s green agenda is clear. He campaigned on promises to create 5 million “green jobs.” In order to make these jobs and renewable energy a reality, the production tax credits may be extended for 5 years (although they were extended under the $700 billion bailout plan, they are currently set to expire one year from now).

Obama says:

“This program will provide incentives to farmers and other local producers of renewable energy to boost rural renewable energy production.”

That all sounds great, doesn’t it? But what do you know about biomass? Here is a quick Biomass 101:

Biomass heat and energy can be created by new biomass plants from the breakdown of wood products and other organic materials. For example, when the Forest Service thins tree stands to cut down on fire fuels, the woody debris can be sent to new biomass plantsto be turned into biomass fuel and/or heat. Simiarly, waste from wood mills can also be used in this manner.

The University of Idaho has been heating its Moscow campus for 2 decades by burning waste from local mills. We should see more schools and universities follow in its footsteps under the federal Fuels for Schools program which provides subsidies to schools that install biomass boilers. A school in Montana that implemented the program saved over $90,000 in heating oil costs in the past year!

Europe is leading North America (for now!) when it comes to new biomass plants, however. Check out this video:

Here on the other side of the pond, of several new biomass plants under consideration in Oregon, the Warm Springs project is proposed to be a $50 million, 20-megawatt power plant that will provide steam heat and electricity to a lumber mill next door. A remaining 15.8 megawatts generated will provide power over the grid for 12,000 homes. Tax credits will help make the project viable.

Living in an area heavily covered with forests that need constant, consistent management, I would much rather see the wood debris sent to new biomass plants than burned! I am excited to watch the development of new, green technology and witness less wasteful depletion of natural energy resources. Obama’s green agenda will - I believe - lead us out of the recession and create many new green collar jobs. At the same time, we can breathe a little easier as our reliance on fossil fuels will ease through the use of biomass fuel and heat. Don’t you agree?